It’s been more than 40 years since an African player landed one of tennis’ four Grand Slam titles. The South African, Johan Kriek, captured the Australian Open men’s singles championship in 1981 and repeated the feat a year later – albeit after switching his allegiance to America. It’s been a long wait since, but Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur has the game to end the continent’s long wait for a major winner.
Reaching New HorizonsThe 28-year-old is considered one of women’s tennis’ best ‘all court’ players, which means she can thrive on any surface. Jabeur has reached finals on the grass of Wimbledon and the hard courts at the U.S. Open, but it’s her improving form on clay that most catches the eye. She reached the final of the Italian Open in 2022 and won her first WTA 1000 title at the Madrid Open that same year.
Up to number four in the world rankings, it’s no wonder Jabeur is considered a 16/1 chance in the French Open tennis odds, just behind the likes of Aryna Sabalenka (6/1) and former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova (14/1).
2 - Ons #Jabeur is the second African player in the Open Era (males included) to reach the Singles final in #Wimbledon after Kevin Anderson in 2018 (Kevin Curren was competing for the United States in 1985). Pride.@WTA @WTA_insider #Wimbledon2022 pic.twitter.com/aAlaKfMgro
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 7, 2022
The French Open betting odds typically reflect each player’s form heading into the event, and in Jabeur’s case, her preparation could not have been much better. The Tunisian won the Charleston Open on clay without dropping a single set, defeating the talented Belinda Bencic in the final.
A calf injury sustained late in April is not expected to derail her chances, with Jabeur sharing on her social media pages that she’s already back in training. She’s already considered amongst the greatest African tennis players of all time – no other player from the continent has reached a world ranking high of two. But who else takes their place in such an exalted company?
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Only two African stars have ever won Grand Slam titles, and Jaroslav Drobny picked up three of them in a remarkable spell of success in the 1950s. As you can probably tell from his name, Drobny is not of African heritage – in fact, he would represent three different countries during his Hall of Fame career! He defected from Czechoslovakia during civil unrest to Egypt, which he represented when winning the 1954 Wimbledon title, before switching allegiance to Great Britain after setting up a home there.
Johan KriekBorn in Pongola and attending an Afrikaans school growing up, Johan Kriek is the only African (by birth) to win a Grand Slam title. He won two Australian Open championships and reached the semi-finals of the French and U.S. Opens, saving his best tennis for the majors – that explains how he only reached a career-high ranking of seven. Kriek won 14 singles ranking events during a highly successful career, before setting up home in the United States and founding the Global Water Foundation.
Hello everyone, an update on my situation @MutuaMadridOpen pic.twitter.com/Du04vH2uLU
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) April 24, 2023Kevin Curren
Africa does have another Grand Slam champion in tennis – albeit in the doubles and mixed doubles disciplines. Kevin Curren teamed up with Steve Denton – who Kriek defeated in both of those Australian Open finals – to claim glory in the 1982 U.S. Open, while his partnership with Anne Smith yielded three mixed doubles titles: the U.S. Open in 1981 and ’82, plus Wimbledon in what was a stellar 1982 for the South African, who would also later switch allegiance to America.
Curren was no slouch when it came to the singles game either, landing five ranking titles and reaching the final of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. So, Jabeur is certainly in excellent company; can she end Africa’s long wait for a Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2023?
